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SASFA
SUPPLEMENT
2017
24
BREEDEZICHT DEVELOPMENT
In a year when the number of entries in the Light Steel Frame
Building (LSFB) Category of Steel Awards 2009 grew significantly,
it was not a single house that stood out from the rest but rather
three houses in the same estate – the Breedezicht Estate in
Witsand, Western Cape.
The judges said that the award-winning houses showed
professionalism comparable to anywhere in the world. Their
finishes are incredible with straight and level lines and vertical
and square corners. Add to this the simplicity of running services
in a cavity wall ready to receive them and in double quick time,
and this project demonstrates in a world-class fashion one of the
most exciting building technologies for the future.
At Breedezicht the environmentally conscious developer
20
09
opted to introduce LSF construction in addition to conventional
brick-and-mortar and decided on architecture reminiscent
of the Vermont and New England styles to compliment the
coastal environment.
As each structure is a uniquely engineered product, the LSFB
system produced a home of exceptional strength and solidity
while affording easy, fast and accurate installation.
The double-storey luxury house on Stand 1090, erected
on a standard engineer-designed slab, took only four months
to complete from start to finish while the Vermont style,
single-storey on Stand 1081, took only three and a half months
to complete.
The judges noted some of the cost-saving qualities of LSFB.
Firstly, because installation is so fast, there is saving on labour.
Secondly, numerous trips were required to deliver materials to
the brick and mortar sites while an entire LSF unit was delivered
in one trip saving significantly on input costs.
Thirdly, considering the typical climatic conditions of a coastal
town on the Garden Route – cold and rainy winters, hot and
sometimes humid summers – good thermal insulation, which
keeps the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter is
an enormous cost-saver.
EXCELLENCE
Light Steel Frame Building’s growing popularity in the Southern African
region was confirmed when the high-profile All Africa Games Athletes
Village in Maputo won the 2011 LSFB award at the Steel Awards.
The judges said the Athletes Village project exemplified a number
of the advantages of LSFB and was the driving force that enabled the
project to meet ‘incredibly tight project deadlines and produce a high-
quality end product’.
The Athletes Village, with a total living space of more than
97 000 m², consists of 27 four-storey apartment buildings, with a total
of 848 apartments. The project team says that the main challenge of
this project was the extremely
tight time frame in which the 27
structures had to be completed.
This was due to the fact that in
April 2009, Mozambique took
over the hosting of the 10
th
All
Africa Games from Zambia, which
was forced to pull out because of
the global financial crisis.
While All Africa Games hosts
typically have four years to plan
and implement such events,
Mozambique only had two and,
in addition to the construction of
AFRICA GAMES ATHLETES
VILLAGE